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So long 'Scary Gary'; rising costs force Trib to drop comics

The Tribune's comics have disappeared, and you can thank higher newsprint costs for at least a big hand in that decision.

Margaret Mitchell of Northeast Portland needs her "Scary Gary" every week. Neil Anderson liked the selection of comics in the Tribune that you couldn't find in other publications. Isaac Hudson says the comics are his favorite part of the paper. Hudson "hates sports, loves the comics."

Well, sorry to say, the Tribune's comics have disappeared, and you can thank higher newsprint costs for at least a big hand in that decision. Newsprint costs have hit about $600 a metric ton, the highest cost since December 2014, according to Bloomberg News. Most of our newsprint comes from Canadian manufacturers, and U.S. officials are slapping some uncoated Canadian paper products (newsprint) with stiff duties that could hit 25 percent, increasing costs to news companies and printers.

For more than four years, the Tribune has published a handful of comic strips and cartoons provided by Creators Syndicate. Those include "Scary Gary," "Ballard Street," "Dog Eat Doug," "Nest Heads," "Dogs of C-Kennel" and "Free Range." Pamplin Media Group President and Publisher J. Mark Garber says shifting budget priorities and newsprint costs forced the Tribune to reduce the size of its papers, which meant dropping the comics page.

Anyone who still wants to read the adventures of Scary Gary (what is that guy, anyway?), can find that strip and other comics at www.gocomics.com.